The Price of Your Netflix Subscription Is About to Go Up

People love Netflix as a cheaper alternative to pricier home entertainment packages like cable or satellite. But the cheaper alternative keeps getting more expensive. (I see in our archives this is the third article with a “netflix-price-increase” URL.) Per CNBC, Netflix is raising its rates on all customers. New signups will see an immediate effect on their bill, while existing subscribers will see the change reflected in their bill soon:

Netflix's cheapest basic plan will cost $9, up from $8; its most popular HD standard plan will cost $13, up from $11; and its 4K premium plan will cost $16, up from $14. The rate hikes constitute a jump of between 13 and 18 percent — the company's biggest increase since launching its streaming service 12 years ago — and will take effect immediately for new customers. Existing subscribers will see the price increase on their bills over the next three months.

Netflix is facing an increasingly crowded marketplace, with streaming competition coming from Disney (Disney+ will feature Star Wars and Marvel movies, plus new originals), Comcast (who just announced an NBCUniversal streaming service), and others in the next few years. They’re spending more money than ever on original content, pumping out new shows and movies literally every week of the year, so price increases were probably inevitable. Still the fact that it’s the biggest increase in the company’s history stings more than a little bit. Unfortunately, if you want to watch a show about tidying up your house and throwing away books, it’s still the only place to do it.